Safety device for elevator-doors.



H. A. MQGRORY. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 20, 1908.

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Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

1 *0 ulTmnumu L 7 Doors,

HENRY A. McGRO'RY; or DETROIT;- MICHIGAN.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATOR-DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed m ao, 1908. Serial No. 444,323.

troit, county of l/Vayne, State of Michigan.

have invented a certain new and useful 1mprovement in Safety Devices for Elevatorand declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference .beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification.

My invention relates cannot be started when the elevator door is open. Provision is also made to prevent opening the doors: of the elevator while the car is moving from floor to floor. 7

A further object is to provide means whereby while one door is open no other door can be opened. I Another object is to'providemeans by which any open elevatordoor mayberlosed from the basement or motor room and the car lowered without the necessity of the engineer or motorman ascending to the floor go close the door and tooperate the controller ever. i a I V 1 A still further object ofthis invention is to prevent creeping of the elevator dueto' leaking valves or the arcing of the contact points, resulting from an improper setting of the controller lever.

hereafter appear. a I

In the drawings: Figure 1 isa vertical central section through the elevator well and car showing the door ofthe floor at which the car is stopped in the act ofbeingopened.

' Fig. 2 is an end. elevation of the operating sheave showing the reciprocating rack bar in locked relation therewith. Fig. 3 is a modification showing the reciprocating rack bar provided with a projecting 'knife blade adapted to enter between the springs of two fixed terminals conveniently located. on the frame :-the parts thus serving as an electric switch whereby the circuit may be opened or Fig. 4 is a plan view of, the modification shown in Fig. 3.

Referring now to shown on the elevator well.

the letters of reference drawings :-AV indicates the to an improvement in safety dev1cesfor elevator doors and has B, B, B B indicate the several floors of .he building.

C is the elevator car.

D, D, D are sliding doors supported by suitable hangers in which are mounted pulleys adapted to traverse the track bars E, E, E

F, F, F indicate rack bars secured to the elevator doors.

G is a vertical shaft supported in suitable bearings and providedwith pinions H, H, gfiladapted to mesh with the rack bars F,

f f 1 j I is a bevel gear mounted on the vertical shaft G and adapted to mesh'with the gear .J on the horizontal shaft J. On the end of the shaft J is a pinion J meshing with the reciprocating rack bar K mounted on suitable friction rolls k. j V V i i 'L denotes the controller or starting lever mounted in the car and to which is connected the controller ropes M in turn passing around suitable pulleys M and the sheave M ;-the sheave l 2 beingmountedon a shaft adapted to control the motive power whatever it may be. I

N is a channel formed in the end of the sheave to receivethe projecting end of the reciprocating rack bar K, as shown in Figs. '1 and 2. I

, O'iis a winding drum around which the cables for raising and lowering the car pass.

Having indicated the several parts by referencef'letters the operation of my im- 7 proved safety device will now be explained. Other advantages and lmprovements Wlll' The rack bars attached to the several doors are of such length that when the doors are closed theywill be out of mesh with the several pinions H, H, H attached to the vertical shaft,the object. being to avoid opening any door other than the one at which the car stops. V] hen the car is stopped at a floor, the operator upon openingthe door causes the rack bar F to mesh with the pinion H of the vertical shaft thereby rotating the shaft'and with it'the bevel gear I and also the gear J of the shaft J. ,on which is mounted the pinion J controlling the movement of the reciprocating rack bar -K. Upon actuating the rack bar its projecting end is caused to enter the channel N of the controller sheave thereby locking the sheave against rotation. It will now be seen that any attempt to start the elevator by operating the starting or controlling lever L in'the car without first clos- Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

i that it isnecessary to bring the controlling ing the door in order to withdraw th'e'recip l rocating rack bar from its locked relation with the sheave would be of no effect. So also it will be found impossible to open any of the doors leading to the elevator well while one of them is open,-as the vertical shaft G on which are mounted the several pinions H, H H with which the rack bars on the doors mesh will be found locked against rotation due to action of the open door.

To start the elevator, the door leading into the car must be first closed. The act of 1 closing the door ser *es to rotate the vertical shaft, due to the rack bar on the door meshing with the pinion on said shaft. This movement actuates the reciprocating rackl bar K by means of the bevel gears I and J and the pinion J thereby throwing the re ciprocating rack bar out of locking engagement with the controller sheave. The controller or starting lever L may now be operated, by which means the starting cable is actuated. This serves to partially rotate the controller sheave,shifting the position of the channel N so as to prevent the reciprocating rack bar from entering. at will thus be seen that when the elevator car is passing from floor to floor none of the doors can be opened as the rack bars of the several doors cannot actuate their respective pinions on the vertical shaft ;-being locked against rotation by the position of the reciprocating rack bar with reference to the operating sheave.

One of the advantages of my improved safety device resides in the fact that the conductor or engineermay with perfect safety enter the basement well of the elevator to oil or repair the parts and so long as the door through which he enters the well remains open he is assured that the elevator car cannot be 'aised or lowered by any one entering the car. Another advantage resides in the fact that the conductor from the motor room can close any door and then lower the elevator car without the necessity of mounting to the floor on which the ele vator car is left. This is accomplished by first manually actuating the reciprocating rack bar K, the movement of which serves to rotate the vertical shaft and with it the pinion meshing with the rack of the open door,then upon operating the controller cable the elevator car may be lowered to the basement.

It will be noted that owing to the fact lever in the car to a certain fixed position each time in order that the doors may be opened, there is less liability of the elevator creeping due to leaking valves in hydraulic elevators, or the arcing of contact points of electric elevators. It being necessary to bring the controlling lever to a certain fixed position in order that the reciprocating racli.

5 bar. may properly enter the channel formed on the end of the controller sheave, the proper'position of the valves or other controlling devices is assured.

In the modification shown in Figs. 2 and l, an electric circuit 1? is indicated leading to the controlling device (not shown), the ends of the circuit being secured to fixed terminals having projecting spring contacts. I'viiounted upon the reciprocating rack bar but insulated therefrom and adapted to travel with it is a projecting ltuifc blade designed to enter the sprii s of the lixcd terminals to close the circuit. Upon the car stopping at a liner, the door may then be opened, which action operates the reciprocating rack bar, thereby breaking the circuit, due to the opening of the switch by the withdrawal of the knife blade from bclavcen the springs of the lived terminals. When the door is closed the electric circuit will be closed through the switch,thc car may 1 then be started, as will be readily understood.

laving thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. in an elevator, a plurality of elevator doors, a vertical shaft adapted to be rotated and of a sutlicient altitude to be directly engaged and rotated by suitable operating mechanism secured to each door, means for rotating said shaft secured to each of the doors but out of operating relation with the shaft when the doors are closed, whereby when the shaft is rotated due to the action of one of the doors, the operating mechanism of the remaining doors will not be adapted to actuate said shaft until the open door is returned to its initial position.

2. In an elevator, a car, a controller for the motive power, means for actuating the controller mounted in the car, a plurality of elevator doors, a vertical rotatable shaft supported in suitable bearings and of sullicient altitude to be directly actuated by means secured to each of the doors, means connected with said doors for rotating said shaft, and means for governing the action of the controller due to the rotation of the shaft whereby the car can only move as predetermined.

3. In an elevator, a car, a controller for the motive power, means for actuating the controller mounted in the car, a plurality of elevator doors, a rack bar secured to each door, a. rotatable shaft supported in suitable bearings, pinions thereon designed to mesh with the rack bars, and means for governing the action of the controller whereby the car can only move as predetermined, consisting of a reciprocating bar adapted to be actuated by said rotatable shaft and to govern the action of said controller.

Ull

4. In an elevator, a car, a controller for 1st were the motive power, means for actuating the controller mounted in thecar, a plurality of elevator doors, a rack bar secured to each door, a rotatable shaft supported in suitable bearings, pinions thereon designed to mesh with the rack bars, 'andmeans for locking the controller whereby the car can only move as predetermined, consisting of a reciprocating bar adapted to be actuated byvsaid rotatable shaft and to engage and lock said controller.

5. In an elevator, a the motive power, means for actuating the controller mounted in the car, a plurality of elevator doors, a rack bar secured to each door, a rotatable shaft bearings, pinions' thereon designed to mesh with the rack bars, a shaft geared to said rotatable shaft, a pinion mounted thereon designed 'to mesh with and actuate a reciprocating rack bar adapted to engage and lock the controller governing the operation 7 doors,

car, a controller for vmeans of the rotatable shaft and adapted to supported in suitable of the motive power, and said reciprocating rack bar, substantially as described.

6. In anelevator,a car,a controller sheave for governing the motive power, a controlling lever mounted in the car, operating cables connecting the controller lever with the sheave, a plurality of elevator doors a rack bar secured to eachdoor, a rotatable shaft suitably mounted, pinions thereon designed to mesh with the rack bars on the several and a reciprocating bar actuated by enter a channel or groove provided in the wall of the sheave, whereby the latter may be locked against rotation.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification'in the presence of two witnesses.

' HENRY A. McGRORY.

Witnesses:

GRACE E. WYNKOOP, SAMUEL E. THOMAS. 

